Privacy Policy

1. The data you provide is collected by The International Protection Office (IPO), Immigration Service Delivery (ISD), a part of the Department of Justice (DoJ). The IPO will treat all information and personal information that you provide as confidential. The International Protection Act 2015 obliges us to take all practicable steps to make sure we keep the identity of applicants confidential. We also follow the EU General Data Protection Regulation and the Data Protection Act,  2018. We will share information provided to the Department of Justice only with other approved organizations and via approved channels in line with the appropriate law.

2. The data controller for the information you provide is the Department of Justice and the data controller’s contact details are:

By email:
Information Access Unit,
[email protected]
By Post:
Information Access Unit
International Protection Office,
Immigration Service Delivery,
79-83 Lower Mount Street,
Dublin 2, D02 ND99.

3. We may use the personal data you provide on this website and to the IPO for the following purposes:

• Processing, progressing, assessing eligibility and/or corresponding with you in respect of any application(s) made by you for International Protection, or for any application(s) made on behalf of a minor, updating and providing you with information on your application(s), whether for you or on behalf of a minor;
• Examining and analysing your data
• Finding out information to assist in answering your correspondence;
• If applicable, verifying your identity;
• If applicable, verifying your address;
• If applicable, verifying your email address
• Addressing any queries, suggestions, issues or concerns and responding to your correspondence as appropriate, and
• We may also use the personal data provided by you and any associated correspondence as part of any future considerations regarding your immigration citizenship status and or Permission to Remain.

4. Our legal basis for collecting and processing this data is as follows:

• International Protection Act 2015 as amended and Regulations made thereunder
• European Union (Dublin System) Regulations 2018
• European Communities (Eligibility for Protection) Regulations 2006
• European Union (Subsidiary Protection) Regulations 2013 as amended
• European Union Dublin Regulation
• European Union Eurodac Regulation
• vii The Courts and Civil Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2023

5. Data may also be shared with other States operating the EU Dublin Regulation, the Schengen Information System and the EU Eurodac Regulation should your application for international protection fall within the scope of those EU Regulations.
6. Data may also be shared with other States should your application for international protection be considered as one that may fall within the Scope of Section 21 of the International Protection Act 2015.
7. The personal data provided will be stored securely on Department of Justice ICT servers. In addition to domestic data sharing with Immigration Service Delivery/Department of Justice, data may be shared, where appropriate, with other Government offices/agencies including:

• An Garda Síochána
• Legal Aid Board
• Department of Social Protection
• Tusla – the Child and Family Agency
• Health Service Executive
• Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration, and Youth

Information may also be shared with our translation and interpretation service provider(s).

8. The personal data provided may also be shared with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in connection with their mandate to support the international protection process.

9. Where it is necessary and proportionate to do so, in accordance with the Data Protection Act 2018 and the GDPR, further personal data may be requested or received from/provided to other Public Authorities/competent authorities[1]/ international organisations for the purpose of:

a. Section 8 of the Immigration Act 2003,
b. Section 41 of the Data Protection Act 2018.

10. We may also process your personal data for research or statistical purposes as allowed under the Data Protection Act 2018 and the GDPR.

11. The Department of Justice (DOJ) is committed to providing efficient and effective services to our customers. We may use your contact details (email address etc.) to gain a deeper understanding of your experience with the DoJ by way of an anonymous survey. You may receive this survey after your interaction with the DoJ has concluded.

12. The contact for any queries in relation to this website is [email protected]

13. This data will be stored in accordance with the requirements of the National Archives Act 1986.

[1] A competent authority means:

• A public authority competent for the prevention, investigation, detection or prosecution of criminal offences or the execution of criminal penalties in the State, including the safeguarding against, and the prevention of, threats to public security, or
• Any other body or entity authorised by law to exercise public authority and public powers for the purposes of the prevention, investigation, detection or prosecution of criminal offences or the execution of criminal penalties in the State, including the safeguarding against, and the prevention of, threats to public security.

14. You can request a copy of your personal data by completing a Subject Access Request (SAR) form, available:

• At https://www.gov.ie/en/organisation-information/fd31f0-protecting-personal-data-in-the-department-of-justice/ or
• from the Knowledge Management and Data Protection (KMDP) at the address below.

Forward the completed form by email to [email protected] the DoJ Data Protection Officer. You will be required to verify your identity before the data can be forwarded to you.  The time limit for responding to a SAR commences once your identity has been verified.

15. You have the right to rectify any inaccuracies in your data. To do this you should submit a query via email to [email protected] documenting the inaccuracies which need to be rectified. The right to rectification is not absolute and each request will be considered on its own merits.

16. You have the right, where appropriate, to obtain erasure of your data and/or a restriction on the processing of your data as well as the right to object to the processing of your data. The right to erasure, restriction or objection is not absolute and each request will be considered on its own merits.

17. You have the right to lodge a complaint with the Data Protection Commission (DPC). You can contact the DPC by webforms on their website www.dataprotection.ie or by post to:

21 Fitzwilliam Square South
Dublin 2
D02 RD28

Further details in relation to your data protection rights can be found in the Department of Justice Data Protection Policy.

You can contact the Data Protection Officer (DPO) for the Department of Justice by email at: [email protected] or by post at:

The Data Protection Officer,
Department of Justice,
51 St. Stephen’s Green,
Dublin 2, D02 HK52.